I would say that the climax tends to be when Luffy loses a fight for the first time, actually. Like in Alabasta. But it all depends on various factors and it's hard to pinpoint an exact spot.
@Dahaka
! @Dahaka.:
! > And how do you think will that interaction go? There are only two ways it can - they either help each other or fight each other. And the former will not happen. Being a yonko and having to ask another yonko to crush some pirate is just pathetic. Both of them will go after Luffy and that ends either with Luffy beating them both (nope) or them getting into a fight. And the fight itself can end in multitude of ways.
! Why is this such a black and white question? It could even amount to something as minor as Big Mom acknowledging Kaido's existence. And helping or fighting each other could occur in a broad spectrum of possibilities, yet you seem to only account for a personal upfront meet up that erupts into a brawl. Of course a Yonko team-up will never happen. Not just because it would be pathetic, but because they would literally be impossible to beat lol. And having Big Mom and Kaido beat up/defeat each other, having their defeat be partially due to being distracted by the other Yonko, or one of them weakening the other would be quite underwhelming after how both of them are built up as significant threats to Luffy with him promising to kick both of their asses. Although Luffy's promise to beat Kaido has a lot more built-up and sentimental gravitas compared to how last minute and sudden his declaration of war against Big Mom is.
! My idea? I wish Big Mom and Kaido could meet in some way, but I don't think it can happen from how I'm analyzing the plot's future and what would be satisfying narrative payoff. While it's very difficult to foretell the exact execution of Totland's endgame, I'm willing to bet that it will end with Big Mom and Luffy making some sort of negotiation and playing a game similar to the one she made with Jimbei. Negotiating has been her deal since her introduction with allowing Luffy to convince her to vent her rage from Fishman Island to the Straw Hat Pirates, and keeps getting highlighted in how she interacted with Jimbei and Sanji. She's got a whole Mafioso theme going on of making deals you can't refuse. Since we know Luffy can't beat her in a straight-up fight, that would be the most entertaining and cool option. Yes, she's a completely messed up lunatic. But a lunatic that adheres to logic and standards, as surprising as they may be. Both her and Luffy share the affinity of advocating selfishness as the definition of piracy. Oda puts heavy focus on figurative themes with piracy and always puts serious thought and execution into it, so I doubt that Luffy meeting a likeminded antagonist is just a coincidence. Especially when Big Mom has been shown in instances to actually expect Luffy to be an interesting challenge.
! But I know what you're thinking. Why would Big Mom be open to a deal of some sort after how pissed off Luffy has made her, and how it seems like the chaos will only get worse? Well, Bege is going to start some sort of coup, and maybe the Vinsmokes too depending on what happens. Big Mom's illness is going to rear its head again, and probably because she will want some wedding cake that the Fishman Island bombs may destroy. Instead of just running away when she becomes delirious, I actually say that the Straw Hat Pirates try to cure Big Mom. There's a reason why Chopper, the Straw Hats' doctor, and Sanji, the Straw Hats' cook, are in this arc. Why have a main character who's a doctor be in a story with a major character who is ill if they aren't even going to try to at least alleviate the illness? I kind of imagine deranged Big Mom being similar to how the Straw Hats teamed up against Oars. Brook and Nami's abilities provide for nice counters against Big Mom's Devil Fruit. And Luffy, Jimbei, and maybe Sanji if he's not too preoccupied provide for power to help, not defeat her of course, but perhaps hold her down or distract her while delicacy medicine is made. Big Mom's a glutton and her illness is related to craving food, so you can bet that with Sanji's cooking and this whole arc being full of food that she's going to eat something special to have this illness be quelled. Also, while Big Mom is a villain and you could argue that she doesn't deserve to be saved, it's very likely that Sanji and Chopper's principles of helping those in need of food (I doubt that Sanji would say that an illness that needs to be cured with food isn't as dire as starvation) or healing will make them act regardless.
! This is why I can't buy them running away while Big Mom rampages, as well as the fact that they've made friends with Pudding, Pekoms, and Pound who are going to be left in such a mess than benefitting from a proper solution since the Straw Hats ALWAYS help the friends they make. And while she is in a vulnerable rampaging state, Bege and maybe the Vinsmokes are likely going to try to take over and kill her. During this period, the Vinsmokes can get taken down by Sanji and some other characters if necessary after finding some sort of way to get the cuffs off and save Zeff. Remember that Big Mom has the keys to those cuffs, so the only way to get them is through espionage or her willingly giving them (although I bet Reiju, Pudding, Brook, or Chopper steals them or something). Oda didn't introduce these elements in Big Mom's character just for the sake of letting the Straw Hats get out of dodge when they get too deep in danger. They're actually plot threads that have to be addressed and will conveniently help these characters get a convincing way out of Whole Cake Island. I can only see a tactical retreat situation in a similar fashion to how Garp chased the Straw Hats at the end of Water 7, in which Big Mom is in a sane state and either gets bamboozled or gives them a head-start. But they're not going to run away while she rampages. That's way too cheap, way too cold, way too dissatisfying, and way too wasteful. I hope you understand my logic now. I don't blame you if you find this too hard to believe from how corrupt Big Mom has appeared to be, but Oda is characterizing her differently from typical arc antagonists. And most likely for a unique narrative purpose than what we are supposed to believe from the arc's tension. The Straw Hats get off on the wrong foot with a bunch of characters and factions before eventually forming some type of truce or alliance. Big Mom could just be the most threatening example.
! I can see Big Mom's tactical mind allowing Luffy to leave off for Wano Country in order to fight Kaido. Because it's a diabolical way to get rid of two birds with one stone after hearing about the forces that Luffy is gathering. If Luffy loses, Kaido is weakened and Big Mom can gain an advantage. If Kaido gets beat, then she has the opportunity to take over lots of new territory, has a chance at getting Kaido's Road Poneglyph, and being able to destroy Luffy whenever she wants after getting weakened from the fight with Kaido. She only has room to gain from letting the Straw Hats go, and we see how methodical she is with her plays for power in having an information network, vast territories that collected different races, and enacting political marriages to make allies. And we know she would like any chance to destroy the other Yonko, as seen in he latest chapter with how important Lola's political marriage was.
! > And having to rely on 10 other powerful people is okay? As long as Big Mom doesn't make Kaido's downfall easy to achieve and won't deal most of the damage, it's not going to be underwhelming.
! Relying on a whole other antagonist faction that equals or is greater than your own in power is far different than earning the respect of various allies that belong to no established faction. Luffy is earning these allies from his own merit, and Oda has been emphasizing throughout the New World that you need allies in order to defeat Yonko and become the Pirate King. So yes, a Yonko contributing to Luffy's first Yonko takedown would be pretty damn underwhelming.
! > While you are right about all the thematic connections Kaido has with Wano, it doesn't really have to be underwhelming if the final battle takes place somewhere else. Defeating Shogun and pushing Kaido out of the country would be enough for a satysfying conclusion as long as Luffy decides to not let Kaido go because of his promise and then going after him to finish the job. It's not a binary problem where it's impossible to write a satysfying conclusion for Wano if Kaido doesn't fall there. I like to think of Kaido as more than just a one-island villain. Him going out in the world with his great war is something I'm hoping for, the same way I'm hoping for Big Mom to leave her island soon after current arc ends. Kaido's downfall is a global event and isolating it to one island and one conflict with samurai is just not enough in my opinion. Wano and its story are going to rise the emotional stakes for the SH's and the readers, but Luffy is not the only one who is going to fight him. Some, or maybe all, of the worst generation will assemble, Marco will appear, also Moria and god knows who else. Do you think any of them cares about Wano? Most of them probably don't. That's why the story needs this separation. Between Wano's internal struggles that are going to fuel Luffy's rage and make us emotionally invested, and the great final battle that is going to be much more than just Wano. If Oda wants to mix those two together when in one scene we have Oden/samurai drama, and in the other Kidd is doing his thing, and then Moria on the side is trying to settle the score with Kaido, do you know what we get? Another mess like Dressrosa, this time 150 chapter long. If Oda wants to make a real fight and not just a chain of skirmishes and one-shots like on Marineford, he has to organize this stuff. Unless Wano is a gigantic island with some massive unhabitated space, then we will be facing the danger of destroying Wano, the people of Wano running around while crying and commenting on everything that happens, and just lots of unnecessery mess and fluff that is going to come out of it, because it always does. That's why Oda needs to deal with Wano and then cut it off, leaving just representatives that are going to carry the conflict on their backs. Just like he did during CP9, when he cut off Water 7 and just sent Franky's family and Galley-la to a fight that was much bigger than just them. With Wano, he can just make Oden's retainers + maybe some samurai fodder go to settle the score. And it will work well because emotional conflicts are carried by the characters, not by the island.
! > Well, I see them all going into Germa clones. Oda didn't introduce them for nothing, and they certainly seem too big to disappear after just one arc.
! It won't be a satisfying conclusion if the Momo, the Samurai, and the Wano citizens who suffered under Kaido and the Shogun's reign aren't present to witness both of their downfalls. This has been the status-quo for how most arc villain defeats aren't just fights, but powerful figurative means of catharsis that drive survivors into tears and gives them hope. Like when Luffy beat Arlong in front of Nami and the Cocoyashi Villagers. Or Vivi and everybody in Alabasta seeing Luffy launch Crocodile into the key right before rain finally fell to end the civil war. Not to mention when Luffy punched Enel into the golden bell and let Cricket and the monkeys hear the bell and see Luffy's silhouette as proof that Sky Island exists. Even the Galley-La workers and Franky Family were around in Enies Lobby, although I don't think they witnessed the Rob Lucci fight (but they did know about Merry's funeral and helped see Franky off with). Or when Luffy defeated Hody (which Shyarley told the kids to watch in order to learn that they shouldn't judge humans as a solution to the past generations of racial tension) and tried to stop Noah. Or when Luffy beat Caesar while the Brownbeard Pirates were in the vicinity. Or how all of the Dressrosa citizens saw Doflamingo's downfall and cheered.
! Those are all beautiful moments that were substantially built-up and paid off all of the suffering they endured and some of them building up the willpower to fight back. Kaido leaving off to another island while the Shogun is left is good, but no anywhere near as satisfying as it should be. Especially when it's Kaido who drives the most trauma into Momo and the samurai remembering Oden's demise and Kaido's taunts about how weak Oden was. Wano Country as a whole should be present to witness Kaido's downfall, especially as a necessary stimulus to cause them to open up their borders.
! As awesome as it would be, I can't see Kaido making his great war a reality. But Luffy and his forces will pretty much make Wano a whole war ground on maybe even a bigger scale than Dressrosa. I can only see a war akin to what Kaido is talking about being the Final War, and by then I expect both Kaido and Big Mom to be out of the picture in maintaining their power. Just because it's Kaido's dream to make his downfall a global event doesn't mean it has to happen. Especially since he's not as relevant to the plot as much as Shanks and Blackbeard are in the grand scheme of things, who will be key players in what will trigger the Final War. Doflamingo also wanted to see complete anarchy around the world as his dream, but he still got defeated in Dressrosa. Kaido stated that he was jealous of how Whitebeard died in Marineford. Luffy's forces versus the Beast Pirates is pretty much going to be on a similar scale to that, which is all Kaido needs.
! I really can't make sense out of what you're trying to say with it being necessary for a split to happen with Luffy's allies. So what if they don't care that much about Wano? The Grand Fleet in Dressrosa only came there because they wanted Ace's Mera Mera Fruit and fought against Doflamingo's forces out of gratitude to the Straw Hats and wanting vengeance for being turned into toys. And it's not like some of them can't build up stakes in Wano Country. Oars Jr got a hat from Ace that was made in Wano Country, so that's likely a tease for Marco and the Whitebeard Remnants having some sort of investment in Wano Country regardless (please don't interpret that as me saying that they're literally going to fight for Wano because of a hat. I'm drawing attention to how Oda may have been establishing a subtle connection between Whitebeard's crew and Wano Country). The Minks themselves are HEAVILY linked to Wano Country. There only party members I don't see caring much for Wano are the Worst Generation, but so what? Smoker and Tashigi weren't heavily invested in Alabasta as much as capturing he Straw Hats and Crocodile. Galley-La was only present in Enies Lobby for revenge against CP9 and supporting the Straw Hats, not because they actually cared all that much about Robin or Franky. Not every single ally has to have a deep connection with the land or culture itself, they just need to share a common interest in wanting to see the big bads taken down. And this is what all of the allies in Wano Country share.
! And Oda LOVES juggling plotlines and lots of chaos. You act like this is exclusive to Dressrosa, but it's prevalent in various arcs. Alabasta switched from the Straw Hat fights to the civil war to Crocodile's shenanigans with Vivi's family and Robin to Smoker and Tashigi. Look at the factions that initially clashed in Skypiea and came together to fight Enel at the end. Or Enies Lobby switching between the Straw Hat fights and other minions and what not getting taken down by Galley-La and the Franky Family, as well as the Buster Call arriving after everybody but Luffy finished their CP9 fights. Dressrosa's problem wasn't solely that it was ambitious in juggling various scenes and fights. But the fact that there were so many characters introduced and not elaborated on to make us care about most of them (Grand Fleet, Dwarves, Riku Family, Revolutionaries, and the Donquixote Family). However, Wano Country doesn't have this problem. Why? Because all of the characters confirmed to fight there are ESTABLISHED characters. Characters we're already familiar with and attached to. So it already has a step up over Dressrosa's chaotic pacing and character focus. We've even already had one of Kaido's top commanders and crew shown off with Jack and have his significance with Nekomamushi and Inurashi wanting revenge already established. Your Water 7 analogy doesn't work because Water 7 itself had no issues or corrupt rule. It only involved the Straw Hats, Galley-La, and the Franky Family. The goal was just to save Robin and Franky. Two people. That whole saga was about the stability of trust and how far these characters are willing to go for their friends no matter how far and no matter how mighty the opposition. Wano Country obviously differs from those circumstances, and has one of the main goals at hand being Wano Country's liberation and opening its borders after centuries of isolation from corrupt rulers and dated standards.
! The Germa clones are interesting. I can actually see them disappearing after this arc, but coming back to fight as allies to the Straw Hats in the Final War. But who knows? If Reiju takes over Germa 66 from her corrupt family at the end of this arc, then she can actually help out the Straw Hats by sending troops to Wano Country. However, why do they need souls? They kind of already have them. Are you trying to say that clones don't have souls and are hollow shells or something? Because the only thing legitimately wrongs with them is how their genetics are programmed to not be able to resist any orders a Vinsmoke gives.
! > So what do you exactly propose? How will Totland be saved in 20-30 chapters without Big Mom being defeated, and without pulling a Nagato? It won't. Totland is not like Dressrosa. People here know what is going on and accept it and live happily in that environment. There are no dark secrets, everything is plain and clear. Big Mom's tantrums when she destroys everything are a regular thing everyone is used to. The people will just hide and later quickly rebuild everything, because it's easy to do since everything is made of sweets. Hell, even her killing her son was just a little bit over the usual juding from the reactions od the citizens. BM's children are psychos and freaks. They do not feel opressed in any way. The only thing Pudding is worried about is Sanji, not herself. Things work how they work on Totland, everyone knows about it and no one has openly shown any dissatisfaction with how things are. There is nothing to save here. It's just you who think that it needs to be saved, because you think the system is wrong. For the people of Totland, as far as we have seen, it is not. So unless the wedding cake turns out to be made of the citizens, and some shady shit BM is doing is revealed, there will be no saving Totalnd plotline. And I'm pretty sure nothing like that will happen, because, again, I don't think Oda is going to rehash a concept he used two arcs ago.
! I already explained how I think it will all go down above. And yes, Big Mom pulling Nagato is a legit possibility. I understand that it would be disappointing and blasphemous for some, but to be fair, it's actually being built-up properly with how Big Mom's ambivalent positive traits are showcased when it comes to her dream, how she negotiates, respects other people's selfishness, and perversely cares about her children. No, I didn't forget about Lola. But she actually seems to care quite a bit for the children who are loyal. We see this in how a few chapters back, she actually tells her kids not to fight and get along. We typically never see any type of compassion or peaceful desires like that from any other arc antagonist. It's just that she cares in a doting "I know what's best for you" way rather than actually respecting if they don't want to comply with political marriages, as seen in how she doesn't approve of Pudding's wedding dress and compares her to a doll she can decorate. If you cross her, THEN she seems to get pissed off because she views that as shaming her. That, and Lola is a special case where she might have lost out on the chance to become Pirate King, which is bound to many any megalomaniacal ruler upset. But I can see the situation with Lola being solved, actually. Pound and Chiffon being present and Nami (despite losing her Vivre Card. I extremely doubt her relevance in knowing Lola is just going to end there after how long ago that plot thread was built-up) being here will lead up to that. And until we know the specifics of Lola's marriage and how she escaped, we don't know why she trusts Linlin so much. Oda teased that for a reason. So it would be unwise to go off the rocker and assume that just because she hates Lola now means that she will hate her forever.
! I don't know how bragging to everybody about living in a harmonious racial paradise while stuffing rare creatures into a library as prisoners somehow isn't a dark secret. XD Big Mom is a better ruler than Doflamingo is (I've actually argued for this before to other people), but there are still legitimate comparisons that can be made to Dressrosa. Such as how those creatures in the library are most likely going to break out and probably ally with Luffy for this arc to crash the wedding similar to the Grand Fleet originally being enslaved toys. Just because everybody is used to Big Mom's antics does not mean that changes should not be made. If anything, it just shows how Big Mom, despite being heavily flawed, isn't truly as bad a villain as the other arc antagonists. Which only serves my recurring point about how her morally complex characterization makes it likely for her to settle the tension with Luffy and maybe even redeem herself a bit. She has the potential to considering the bright spots in her personality. She just needs to be knocked down a peg, and perhaps lose a game where Luffy dictates changes she has to adhere to.
! Also, how does your point about Pudding caring so much about Sanji work in the slightest? It's because she's being pushed to such desperate extremes in the first place that means change in Totland and the Charlotte Family is needed. Just because you recklessly care about someone else rather than your own welfare doesn't mean that you aren't going through serious issues that need to be fixed. That's like saying Sanji doesn't need to be rescued because he's complying with the marriage for the sake of Zeff and the crew's safety, and has convinced himself that a marriage with Pudding will make him happy. Your point is just ridiculous through and through. And Pudding and Lola felt oppressed by Big Mom. And Praline has no problem with crossing her mother. Clearly not all of Big Mom's children exactly have the highest impression of her, signifying that, guess what, there are family issues that need to be remedied. The same goes for Pound, Lola and Chiffon's father, and the rest of Big Mom's ex-husbands getting kicked to the curb.
! So no, things are not completely working in Totland. That's the point of the whole false/double-edged paradise theme it has. And I'm sure that the citizens would prefer to not have a ruler who randomly destroys their kingdom from an illness until the specific food she craves is brought to her. Not to mention how Big Mom seems to not even be aware of her illness and the fact that her citizens (including wise, selfless, and honorable Jimbei) lie to her about causing the destruction and her children hiding her son's carcass. So I think it goes without saying that her illness should be dealt with for everyone's sake. Including characters like Pekoms, who are likable and support Big Mom (which only goes further to show that she is not an irredeemable arc antagonist). You don't need citizens crying, panicking, drained of optimism to know if their lifestyles need some revisions. And there clearly major issues going on there.
! And just for the record, not that I think a twist like you mentioned with the cake will and should happen (although Big Mom did talk about a sacrifice while singing about making he wedding cake in Chapter 827…), but you heavily underestimate the patterns in Oda's arcs. Like introducing a doomsday countdown near the end in Alabasta, Skypiea, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, Fishman Island, and Dressrosa in various forms. Or the young crying royals who need to be inspired by Luffy. Or how frequently he likes to do flashbacks and the familiar signs of when to expect them. Or the recurring themes of characters finding family in people they're not related to by blood, which is typically one of the main motifs in every flashback. Or how Luffy tends to get stuck in one place so that the plot can progress elsewhere with other characters before he finally arrives to save the day. Just the fact Montd'or is pretty much the Sugar of this arc and the captured rare animals likely becoming allies like the Grand Fleet shows that Oda likes to repackage familiar story functions with differing execution.
! > No? Then why he already asked her to leave her crew while BM still has control over FI, huh? BM is not going to let go of FI if she is going to be taken down in an arc or two. Luffy can have a confrontation with her, but it's not going to solve anything. Just fuel their conflict even more, and that conflict will meet it's end in a Kaido/BM arc I've talked about. As I have said, when it comes to the conflict with BM, this arc will serve as a further build up, not a climax.
! You realize that Fishman Island is Big Mom's property in the first place BECAUSE Jimbei is an ally, correct? If he leaves her crew, that means Fishman Island leaves with him. He thought he could handle convincing Big Mom to let go of Fishman Island's territory by himself. It fits with his honorably selfless personality, especially with how he always talks about saving others even if it costs him his life to the point of it being a recurring gag in the fanbase. Judging from how the newspaper mysteriously said Jimbei backed out from the deal and the fact that we haven't see Jimbei since starting the game with Big Mom means that things didn't work out. I wouldn't be surprised if he's imprisoned in one of Montd'or's pages similar to Luffy and Nami.
! She was more than willing to play a game with Jimbei to settle the Fishman Island protection debacle. But it seems that Jimbei lost. There's always the possibility that Big Mom cheated, but that would completely against how her character is established to highly value equal exchange, negotiation, and selfish values. To the point where she didn't even question why Jimbei wanted to leave her crew and claimed that pirates should live however they want to.
! Yes, Fishman Island's safety is not a primary focus. But you can sure bet it will be as soon as those Fishman Island bombs explode. Which means that has to get settled now, especially for Jimbei to join. Unless you want to argue that his joining should be unnecessarily delayed even more than it already has despite the specific build-up of Big Mom severing ties with Big Mom and the Fishman Island bombs directly tying into this arc and this arc alone. This is the only proper time to do this with good narrative taste. Especially considering how it's about to be the 20th anniversary of One Piece and how no new members have joined (unless you want to count the Grand Fleet in some fashion) since the 10th anniversary. We seriously shouldn't have to wait anymore. And Fishman Island's prophesied destruction could go down in a bunch of ways and doesn't have to tie in with Big Mom specifically.
! > See, but it's not. If BM and Luffy make a truce or alliance, the tension will dwindle drastically. You even said so yourself, that BIg Mom helping Luffy with Kaido would be underwhelming. That would be lame as hell. I can see her getting in the Kaido fights as a third party wild card and that is it. Her being on good terms with Luffy will be just eh. Luffy already has one yonko friend. Two would a complete tension killer.
! No it won't. If anything, it helps make Kaido much more of an intimidating threat. When I say a truce/alliance, I'm moreso talking about Big Mom letting Luffy go but not wanting to directly support him either. The fact that the Straw Hats barely got away from a Yonko who would have been impossible for them to beat just raises the hype for Kaido in Wano Country. It wouldn't be lame at all, it would be good plot-twist that has been built up and teased to anyone who's paying proper attention for the past several months, or even back to Fishman Island for some people. Your suggestion for a third-party wild card is what diminishes the tension in Luffy having to deal with a Yonko with his own strength and forces in a fair two-sided conflict. And Shanks has never helped out Luffy after Foosha Village and doesn't want to come to his aid because he wants Luffy to prove himself (and I doubt that Luffy would want that either due to his pride), so Luffy already "being friends with a Yonko" doesn't matter. Especially when we look at all of the other people's he's allied with, including several Shichibukai and one of them about to join his crew. And before you mention it, Shanks stopping the war was just because of that, stopping the war. Luffy being there was just a coincidence when he only wanted to stop the violence from getting out of hand and preventing Kaido from entering the fray.
! > That just makes it even more obvious that there will be no saving Totland from her.
! …Did you even read what I typed? How do you interpret Big Mom having a wide range of morals compared to how downright negative all of the other arc antagonists are to mean that it's more obvious Totland can't be saved? That doesn't make any sense.
! > Vismokes are obviously going to be dealt with here. FI's protection haven't even been touched upon, and it doesn't have to now. FI is not in any immediate danger. BM has no beef with that island, becasue Luffy took everything on himself. Pudding can be dealt with during the escape or even before the wedding. Lola? What more do you want about her? Pekoms can be dealt with during the escape, Big Mom's illness doesn't have to be dealt with at all, neither Big Mom's "corruption".
! It does need to be touched, as I noted earlier. And Pudding's role goes beyond just wanting to escape but both wanting the Straw Hats to escape together and no longer suffering from the oppression of her mother (which is highlighted a lot in the latest chapter and how she's envious of Lola, so her well-being is a focus). Or how about Pound? Is he just going to be left with a target on his back from Big Mom on his back while Big Mom still swears to kill his daughter (and maybe even Chiffon too since she seems to not mind Bege's coup)? You can't deal with Pekoms during an escape, the Straw Hats retreating is literally doing the exact opposite of how he would want them to help stop Big Mom's rampage and the impending upheaval from Capone and maybe the Vinsmokes. And yes, I think that a lady who imprisons rare life forms in books and destroys territories who fail to pay candy tributes to be a bit corrupt.
! > As for the potential coup - it doesn't really go against anything I have said. Vinsmokes and BM get into a fight, while SH's use the commotion to steal the poneglyph and escape. Sanji kicks their ass, BM takes the clones and make herself an army. There is a possibility that SH's will help her with the coup, and then she will give them the poneglyph as a thank you and promise to give away the FI but… that would be just so lame on so many fronts I don't even want to consider it a possibility. Big Mom is a yonko in her own territory. She should not need any help to deal with everyone on this island. Ans seeing how we are apperantly halway trhough the arc, the great escape seems like an only viable scenario.
! The fact that the wedding will be very chaotic makes Big Mom's illness acting up again that much more deadly. Because all of the shenanigans until hen are going to leave Big Mom's forces weakened and scattered. To the point that they probably won't be able to settle Big Mom's illness like they typically can. Meaning she will probably destroy all of Whole Cake or even Totland. Yeah, it kind of needs to be dealt with than just having our protagonists, who we are supposed to identify with and morally support, running away like inconsiderate cowards when other innocent people, some of which they have gotten to know, are in dire need. If the Straw Hats were willing to help Vivi with the Alabasta civil war and the Tontattas from engaging in suicide by going up against Doflamingo, then they're not going to leave everything in utter anarchy.
! By the way, she doesn't have to be generous enough to give them the Road Poneglyph. I understand and agree that Big Mom putting aside her dream to support Luffy's would be a bit lackluster. They can still narrowly sneak the script off under her nose somehow. It's everything else that I think can be tolerated and even forgiven by her.
! And while we are halfway through this arc, Luffy and Big Mom ending on better terms than they are not is still very possible. It just means we'll have to skip out on getting proper fights for Nami, Chopper, and Brook and maybe not get as much flashback material (such as a Lola/Charlotte Family flashback, a Pedro/Pekoms flashback, and a second Vinsmoke Family flashback) as I was hoping for. But Oda can still do plenty in over twenty chapters, as we've seen in Zou and Impel Down.
If you want to continue this debate, we can have it in the theories thread. We shouldn't inhibit this thread with a subjective bout of story predictions when it's about explicit statements from Oda and his staff.